The AM Forum

I got home from the fester yesterday around noon, and since I never get a chance to operate daytime radio anymore, I decided to see what 10 meters was up to. By then it was around 1:00PM Eastern.

Took a listen up around 29.XX and heard quite a bit of AM activity, but by then the MUF was starting to drop a little and what I heard was fading pretty well.

I decided to lower myself to listen to the slopbucket part of the band. The DX was running rampant!! If you were on all day, you prolly could have made enough contacts for a DXCC. I fired off the Kwummy-2 and tried to work some of it. (between incoming telephone calls) Within less than a half hour, I had worked England, Poland, Italy, France, Portugal, Slovenia, and a handful of other countries. This was just in 1/2 hours time with a barefoot Kwummy-2!!
Signals were all big and stable without much fading.

That 5-9 QRZ stuff isn't exactly my cup o tea, but it was kinda fun for a short while! ! ! ! If one was on all day, you could prolly have snagged a DXCC. The Condx were quite good. The DX was like shootin fish in a barrel.

You'd be surprised if you park somewhere north of 29.000 and call cq AM!!! There ARE Europeans that run AM. :)

International AM was the hottest for a couple hours around 11AM, Frank, if that's what you were after, yes.

Stateside AM remained 30-40+ S9 from Noon right through about 3pm, and sigs were Q5 for a couple hours either side of that.

This guy was running about 25 watts, I was at less than a dozen watts.

Lookit the S-meter -- at the end I let it drop down before I key up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC8oLFhuUTw

Fire up on AM somewhere as close to 28.300 as you can find a clear spot, and call CQ.  Ashtabula Bill used to enjoy doing that.

The entire world was calling AH0J on 28474 at around 7 PM.

I gave a listen this morning about 10 AM.  Signals from Europe all over the band. I don't ever remember it being that good even at the peak of the last cycle. But nothing but noise above 29.0 nor any AM signals heard.

I worked HB9ASQ, Bob, from Switzerland, on AM a little after 11AM. Nice QSO with good signals. He was originally from NJ. Also heard several other European stations in QSO between 29.01 and 29.06.

Almost every time I listened yesterday, there was AM on 10 meters up to 29.1 or so. All in the USA.

 The last two guys were CBer's, though, I think. Heard them in the late afternoon about 29.02. They appeared to be in the same town. They talked for the longest time, but never ID'ed. Well over S9 here in Missouri. I tried to break in, but they never acknowledged me.

On 29.x last few weeks I've heard Italy {running 5w!}, Germany, 5's 6's 7's and 0's. Got a 5/8's wave cut and the DX-100 is almost ready

Not a lot of action on 10 meters so far today but 6 meters is open from the U. S. to South America.

Bob has worked at Swiss Radio International for a while. I worked him during the last sunspot cycle from there. He's running an Optimod HF and considerable power, sure sounds good too.

Can't wait to run across him again.